The Wellington Phoenix are determined to start 2026 how they finished 2025.
The Phoenix are visiting Brisbane Roar in their first match of the year, fresh off 7-0 and 3-0 wins over Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers respectively in their final matches of December.
Head coach Bev Priestman says she’s going to keep pushing standards.
“There are times across a game where you see old habits creep in,” Priestman told media via zoom from Brisbane on Friday.
“My job as a coach is to keep demanding more and more and more from the group because I think sometimes they don’t see it themselves.
“I don’t think it’s in this group, but it is easy when things are going well you take your foot off the gas, and my job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“My job is also instilling the belief and letting them know how good they can be every day because I think when their confidence is high that’s when you see the best of them.”
The Phoenix arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday and the players went to see a film together as a team that night rather than stay up and see the new year in.
“It’s credit to the playing group. I must say they’re an unbelievable group.
“New Year and you start to think as a coach you’re on the road and this group go to the cinema and they’re in bed by 10 o’clock.
“ That’s a buy-in to a high performing team who’ve created a culture and standards that are higher and we all know where we want to head.
“It’s a good sign that on a night like new year’s eve when people might go off and do their own thing when you’re on the road, they don’t have to all be as a team, but it spoke volumes to me and the staff that this year the whole team opted to spend that night together.”
Priestman rates Brisbane “a really good attacking team” and expects the Roar will test her side a lot more defensively.
“It’s an x-factor of theirs. They send a lot of numbers in the box, they’re really aggressive in the box and they’ve got some speed.
“But I also think they give us good opportunity in terms of building on what we’ve been doing as well.
“I don’t want to give too much away but you can see there’s some fragility in terms of their backline and how they attack can sometimes leave them open.
“This is going to be a tough game I think and we’ve just got to bring our A game and be a hard team to beat on the road.
“From that we’ll earn the right to play and hopefully open the scoring gates a little bit in the game.”
Dutch forward Bente Jansen has been identified as one of the players the Nix need to limit.
Jansen’s scored five goals in six matches and also has an assist to her name.
“It’ll be a collective effort in how we stop her.
“I thought she was a great signing. She’s done really, really well for them.
“She’s creative, she can score goals, she can switch play and then they’ve got the speed.
“In terms of transition they have a lot of speed and they can get after you so I’m actually quite excited in the opportunity we have defensively to really test ourselves because like I say they’re a good attacking team.”
Saturday night’s match will be Emma Main’s 50th for the Phoenix.
Main will be just the fourth women’s player to reach the milestone for the club and the first Wellingtonian.
Fellow Wellingtonian and captain CJ Bott will be a gameday decision for the Nix after she was forced off early in the second half of the win over Western Sydney on Tuesday night.
“Obviously if she’s fit, she’ll play. She’s a massive part of this squad and what we’ve been able to do, but it’s balancing that with the bigger picture.”
The round 11 Ninja A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar is scheduled to kick-off at Kayo Stadium in Brisbane at 9:45pm Saturday and will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sport 1 in New Zealand, and on Paramount+ in Australia.
Most recent meeting: 2 February 2025 – Brisbane Roar 1 Wellington Phoenix 0
All-time A-League head to head: Phoenix 2W, Roar 3W, 2D.
Wellington Phoenix squad (two to be omitted): 1. Victoria ESSON (gk), 2. CJ BOTT (c), 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Ellie WALKER, 7. Grace JALE, 9. Sabitra BHANDARI, 11. Manaia ELLIOTT, 13. Brooke NEARY (gk), 14. Lucía LEÓN, 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16. Marisa VAN DER MEER, 20. Emma MAIN, 21. Lara WALL, 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk), 23. Brooke NUNN, 24. Pia VLOK, 27. Zoe BENSON, 28. Grace BARTLETT, 32. Emma PIJNENBURG.
Unavailable: 6. Tessel MIDDAG (injured), 8. Macey FRASER (personal reasons), 10. Alyssa WHINHAM (injured), 18. Ella MCCANN (injured).
Brisbane Roar squad (one to be omitted): 1. Chloe LINCOLN (gk), 2. Leia VARLEY, 3. Daisy BROWN, 4. Kijah STEPHENSON, 5. Aimee MEDWIN, 6. Ruby CUTHBERT, 7. Momo HAYASHI, 8. Josie STUDER, 11. Marianna SEIDL, 12. Tahlia FRANCO (gk), 15. Kiera MEYERS, 17. Bente JANSEN, 18. Amali KINSELLA, 22. Ava PIAZZA, 24. Sharn FREIER, 27. Ashlyn MILLER, 32. Alicia WOODS, 47. Kyla HANSON.
Unavailable: 10. Grace KUILAMU (injured), 13. Tameka YALLOP (c) (injured), 14. Zara KRUGER (injured), 23. Isabela HOYOS YANEZ (injured).
Main image: The Wellington Phoenix gather in a huddle after their 3-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in their round 10 Ninja A-League match at Wanderers Football Park. Photo: Jordan Martin/Jordan M Sport.